AMD and South Korea Partner to Build Sovereign AI Infrastructure

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of South Korea and U.S.-based chip manufacturer AMD signed a strategic partnership and memorandum of understanding to establish an AI Center of Excellence in South Korea. Signed during the AMD Advancing AI 2026 event in San Francisco, the agreement focuses on creating an open, heterogeneous sovereign AI infrastructure.

The collaboration combines AMD's CPUs and GPUs with South Korean-developed neural processing units (NPUs) to optimize AI inference and cost efficiency. This approach aims to reduce reliance on single-vendor technology and diversify the national AI ecosystem. Key initiatives include the creation of a dedicated sovereign AI space for publishing Korean AI models and datasets, as well as research cooperation through the National Science AI Research Center.

To manage the initiative, the two parties will form a Sovereign AI Collaboration Steering Committee. This body will oversee software research, talent development, and the implementation of open-source AI models. The partnership intends to strengthen the competitiveness of the Korean AI semiconductor ecosystem and provide universities, researchers, and companies with expanded access to advanced computing resources.